The Great Joining
by Snugglebunny83
Summary: The Doctor takes pity on a lonely girl and takes her to experience a great love ritual. Little do they know they are setting in motion events that will shape several lifetimes. Mostly Doctor/OC story with mentions of Jack, Alonso, and River.
1. Chapter 1

"So I'm thinking we should see other people. I'm not really ready for a long term relationship, and besides, you're too clingy." _Click._

The phone fell from her nerveless fingers and landed on the bed with a thump. He had dumped her. On Valentine's day! The lowdown, dirty, rotten bastard had dumped her on Valentine's day!

She sat there too stunned to do anything. Should she cry? Get angry? Grab the phone and call him, demand that he take her back? No. Definitely not that last thing. Mentally she calculated all the time, money, and effort she had put into this relationship only to see it crash and burn.

The money was the big thing. Long distance relationships didn't come cheap. The phone cards alone ate up a good chunk of her bi-weekly paychecks, not to mention the two airplane tickets she had purchased to fly down to Louisiana.

Now it was all done. All that time and money wasted. She sighed. Quietly she got up and walked to the kitchen. Taking a large plastic bag out of the kitchen garbage can, she walked back to her room. She gathered up all the little trinkets he had given her and put them in the bag. All the letters, the photographs, the stuffed animals.

She thought about chucking in the lamp he had helped to put together, but no, she really liked that lamp, and besides, it was the only source of illumination the room had. A faint smile crossed her lips as she looked at it. It had been a gift from her high school graduation. The faint smile grew slightly larger as she remembered the good times those four years had held.

After the last worthless trinket had been disposed of, she stuck the bag in her closet to deal with later and took her place on the bed again. Rummaging around in the nightstand drawer, she pulled out a hand mirror and looked into it.

The face reflected back at her wasn't a particularly beautiful one, but it was striking, and certainly pleasant. She took in the rosy cheeks, the plump lips with their perfect cupid's bow shape, the little turned up nose. Above all that, her most arresting feature stood out. The largest, bluest eyes that anyone in Illinois had ever seen. To be sure they were now more gray than blue and decidedly stormy, but when she was in her right mood, those eyes could stop a man in his tracks.

As for her personality, well, there was no denying that underneath the faded cotton t-shirt she wore, beat the sweetest and most loyal heart that anyone could ever hope to have. She was kind, almost to a fault. Always eager to please, and willing to give everything she had to the people she loved, even down to her very life, and never expecting anything in return.

Of course people like this were often cruelly taken advantage of, and she was no stranger to this.

With all of her strong points, one might wonder why nobody had snatched her up yet and made her his wife. She was more than ready to settle down and was amply prepared for marriage. She had learned the homemaking arts from the two best teachers around, her mother and grandmother.

Oh she had certainly had her share of beaux from the time she strode onto the romantic battlefield at the tender age of thirteen. Yet none of them had lasted long. Most of them had ran off. A couple of them might have actually married her, but her mother sensing quite a bit of wrong on them had sent them packing. Then there were the two that never had a proper category. The Don Juan deMarco and Giacomo Cassanova of Oakwood High. Those two were the worst of the lot, or the best, depending on how you looked at it.

Oh they were devilishly handsome and charming! And she, for all her intelligence was powerless against them. One look. One single, smouldering look from either of them, and she was in their clutches, ready to go along with whatever crazy idea they had in mind.

"Oh blast it all!" She exclaimed, hurling the mirror from her. Her mind raced with thoughts of all of them, especially the two dangerous charmers. All of them had driven her completely out of her mind time and again, and more than once had driven her to tears.

"That's it! I'm done! No more men! Not ever! They are more trouble than they're worth!"

"_Oh and just who are you trying to fool?"_ A smug voice in her head spoke up.

"_If any of them showed up here today and begged you to take them back, you'd fall like a ton of bricks. They've got you wrapped around their little fingers, and they know it."_

She scowled and looked around, half expecting to see either Don Juan or Cassanova lounging against her doorframe, turning those dangerously beautiful eyes upon her, those kissable lips of theirs curled in a pouty smirk. They'd be oozing sexuality and hormones. Both of them ferocious man-beasts, ready to devour her. And she'd be powerless against it. She'd be consumed.

Blessedly, her doorframe was decidedly sex-God free. No doubt the two of them were off somewhere wheedling some other wide-eyed innocent into taking a trip out to lover's lane.

Frustrated, she snorted and flipped on the television. Taking up the large box of chocolates that had been her present from mom and dad, she decided to console herself with Jane Eyre and Fannie May.


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor observed this sad scene through one of the viewing panels on the TARDIS as he hovered over the rift, absorbing its energy.

"Oh dear. This just won't do at all!"

At the moment, he was companionless. He had already lost Amy and Rory, and Clara was spending the holiday with the kids she babysat for.

He clucked his tongue as he looked on, watching her toss a ball of paper at the television screen in frustration when Jane Eyre wouldn't run off with Rochester to be his mistress.

"I'd run off with him. If I had a guy like that, I'd follow him anywhere." He heard her whisper to herself.

The TARDIS hummed with concern. He patted her fondly.

"Yes, I know old girl. She does seem to have been knocked around quite a bit in the game of love. Pity really. She's certainly a pleasant enough little creature. Rather pretty, come to think of it."

He twiddled a few buttons and another image of her came up on the view screen. She was some years younger in this one. She was wearing a dark green dress and was sitting at the edge of a stage, swinging her legs and looking around at nothing in particular. Behind her, half hidden in the shadows, a handsome youth stood watching her, hungrily.

"I wonder if that's Don Juan, or Casanova?" The Doctor asked. The TARDIS just hummed again.

"Oh yes, quite. Yes, clearly the thing to do would be to get her out of there before she does anything rash. I'm just betting that one of them will come slinking around before too much longer."

When the TARDIS was fully recharged, they were off. They had a lovesick damsel in distress to rescue and the grandest party in the universe was waiting.

When she heard the strange whirring sound and saw the blue box that had just materialized in her bedroom, all she could do was lean back against the pillows and stare.

Presently a strange man wearing a bow tie and fez popped out of the box.

"Well come on then! Lots to see and do!" The strange man exclaimed, waving a hand at the box in a gesture that clearly meant come inside.

"But who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor. Now come on."

She didn't wait to be asked twice. Throwing caution to the winds, she stuck her feet into the nearest pair of shoes and joined the Doctor in his box.

"I'm.."

"You're Jacki. Yes, already know."

"Hang on, how do you know my name?"

"Oh I know everything about you. Saw your whole life on this." He smiled and indicated the view screen.

"_Everything_?!" She asked, blushing.

"Er, well, yes technically. But I was a gentleman and looked away whenever you were, um..you know…in the altogether."

"Thanks. Now, exactly where are we going in this…thing."

"This is the TARDIS. My space and time ship. We are going to the planet Bliss for the Great Joining. Speaking of which, you can't go looking like that! Bathroom and wardrobe are through there. You'll find everything you need, just help yourself. Oh and before you ask, yes, all the clothes will fit you perfectly. That's another of the old girl's special tricks."

The Doctor pointed down a hallway and then waved a hand at her. Clearly she was dismissed.

She walked down the indicated hallway and soon found herself standing outside a set of double doors marked "Women's bathroom." When she opened the doors, she gasped at the room's interior and furnishings.

The room resembled something like an ancient Roman bathhouse. Everywhere you looked was gleaming white marble, with royal blue and gold trimmings. The tiled walls and floor shone brightly. One wall was made of gilt edged mirrors from floor to ceiling.

In the center of the room was a large marble tub. Along the tub's edge was a number of taps, each marked with a simple label. Reading a few of them, she realized that each tap carried a different scent along with the water. Most of them were fairly familiar, but there was one that puzzled her.

"F F and C? What in the world could that mean?" Her hand hovered over that particular tap, curious to turn it on, but in the end she went with Lily of the Valley, which was her favorite.

After scrubbing herself clean in the sweetly scented water, she climbed out and wrapped herself in a thick warm towel that was taken from a towel warmer. A door near the dressing table was marked "Wardrobe." She walked through it and squealed in delight.

The wardrobe was even larger than the bathroom, and was stacked from floor to ceiling with a dazzling array of dresses, jewels, shoes, and accessories. Really anything a girl could want was in that room. Eagerly she dug into the contents and searched through the various costumes until one in particular caught her eye.

When her hands touched the silken folds and her eyes took in the royal purple and gold coloring, she knew she found the perfect outfit. She pulled it out and brought it back into the bathroom.

The costume in question was a royal purple belly dancer's outfit trimmed with a gold filigree design and gold fringe on the bra top. She shed the towel and slid on the skirt and top. True to the Doctor's word, it fit every curve of her body perfectly as if it was made for her.

Hanging on the hanger with the clothes was a velvet bag. She opened it and pulled out a king's ransom worth of jewelry. A gold tiara, earrings, necklace, rings, bangles, a coin belt. Instead of shoes, there was a matching pair of ankle bracelets. Connected to them were small chains that were fastened to gold rings that were meant to slip over the wearer's middle toes.

She carefully handled the jewels, and admired them before she put them on. Their gold metal and flashing amethysts and emeralds glowed brightly. They were richer and more exquisite than anything she had ever worn before.

When the last jewel was in place, she sat down at the large dressing table to meticulously apply makeup. She didn't use much, just enough to bring out her natural beauty. A sweep of dark blue eye shadow and a touch of mascara made those sapphire eyes really stand out, and a little red lipstick on those lush lips made them even more delectable.

"Oh if only they could see me now! Their eyes would pop and their jaws would drop!" She exclaimed as she twirled around in front of the mirrored wall, admiring her reflection. The TARDIS hummed appreciatively.

"Oh, thank you!" She smiled.

When she emerged, she found the Doctor waiting at the control panel, dressed in a sharp looking black and silver suit.

"What do you think?" She asked, twirling around.

"Fantastic! It suits you well." He smiled.

"Thank you. You clean up pretty well yourself, Doctor."

After what seemed like only a few minutes, they arrived at their destination. The Doctor took her arm and guided her down the red carpeted walkway and into the large ballroom of a massive stone castle.

The room was sumptuously decorated with red and gold. The large windows were festooned in scarlet velvet drapery. Chaise Longes and plush cushions were the room's only furniture with the exception of a large table that appeared to be laden with some sort of refreshments. The room's atmosphere reminded her of a site for a Roman orgy, or perhaps a Sultan's harem. There was an aura of pleasure and sensuality in this place.

"Hungry?" The Doctor asked. She nodded. Together they walked over to the large table.

"The Feast of Aphrodite." He explained.

From end to end, the table was laden with a myriad of food and drinks that were clearly aphrodisiacs. Most of them she recognized. There were also many that were clearly alien. From across the room, two figures appeared to recognize the Doctor and they approached.

"Jack! River darling! How are you both? Jacki, this is Captain Jack Harkness, and my wife, Doctor River Song. Jack, River, this is Jacki."

The two newcomers greeted her warmly. The Doctor looked on, sure that Jack would start flirting shamelessly with her soon enough, but he was disappointed. Instead, Jack was nothing but friendly and polite. A perfect gentleman in every sense of the word.

He studied the two of them carefully. Were they…? No, they couldn't be related, could they? To be sure both of them had the same eyes, and the same dashing smiles, but surely that was just a coincidence. The Doctor sniffed, trying to get a reading on their genetic makeup. One whiff and he knew. Jacki was Jack's great-great….well you get the idea, grandmother. Jack certainly had her side of the genes, but the grand-sire? Still unknown. He had the opportunity to study her whole entire life, but you know, spoilers. So he had stopped the viewer at what was her present time.

After introductions and genetic testing via a sniff, they turned their attention to the food. Jacki picked up an oyster from a platter, the plump sea creature glistening with the juices of life. She ate it, savoring its briny sweetness. She moved onto the caviar, delighting at the way the inky black spheres burst in her mouth, gushing out their exquisite flavor.

Her gaze was soon caught by a pile of large red strawberries. The ruby colored berries were easily as large as the palm of her hand. Their heady aroma was intoxicating and brought to mind breathtaking memories of lazy summer days and sultry summer nights, wrapped in the arms of her Casanova. The berries were so ripe that juice was weeping from their pores. To add to their delectability was a large bowl of whipped cream.

She took a berry and swirled it around in the cream. As her teeth pierced the delicate flesh, her mouth was filled with that intoxicating, heady sweetness. The memories grew stronger to the point where her skin was flushed and she was visibly trembling.

"Those must be some seriously good strawberries." Jack remarked as she swallowed the last bite.

"Yes, they are wonderful." She smiled. "Now what are these?" She asked, pointing at what appeared to be a large bowl of insects.

"Spanish flies of course. For the toad and lizard kind." The Doctor explained, pointing out a few members of the mentioned races.

"And is that fish sticks and vanilla pudding?"

"Certainly not. It's fish fingers and custard!"

"Fish fingers and custard? Who in the world finds fish fingers and custard to be an aphrodisiac?"

"We do of course!" The Doctor exclaimed, putting his arm around his wife and giving her a loving squeeze.

"Then the tap…F. F and C…That means.."

"Yep. Fish Fingers and Custard."

"Well, to each their own I suppose. Speaking of smells, what is that anyway?"

"What does it smell like to you?" Jack and the Doctor asked.

Jacki furrowed her brow and sniffed, trying to place the strange but certainly not unpleasant mixture of smells.

"It smells like..like burning leaves, and old books, and some sort of musky smell and a starched aroma like a man's dress shirt, and a dusty smell like my first car, and the perfume I used to wear. What is it?"

"It's them. Sensory empaths." The Doctor pointed at a number of beings in red velvet robes. "They can recreate smells that are tied with very powerful memories. What you smell is the aroma of true love."

"Well then you and River probably smell fish fingers and custard. What about you Jack? What do you smell?"

"Coffee." Jack replied, giving her a sad smile.

"Coffee? After all this time?" The Doctor asked, a look of sadness crossed his face.

"Always." Jack pulled from his coat a pocket watch that he handed to the Doctor, who opened it. Jacki and River stood close to get a better look. Inside the watch were a picture of an achingly handsome young man and a lock of brown hair tied with a red ribbon. On the back of the watch was inscribed, "To my Cariad, love Ianto."

"Ianto?" Jacki asked.

"Ianto Jones. He was Jack's sweetheart. He died, a long time ago." The Doctor whispered.

"So Cariad means sweetheart?"

Jack nodded. "Yes, Cariad is sweetheart in Welsh."

"Oh Jack. I'm so sorry."

Jack nodded again and took the watch back. After brushing a kiss upon the photograph, he tucked it back into his coat, close to his heart.

"So you and Alonso then…?"

"Didn't work out. Believe me it wasn't for lack of trying. It just wasn't fair to him. Ianto always had my heart and always will. How is Alonso by the way?"

"Well from the look of things over there, I'm sure he's about to have a very enjoyable evening."

Jack and Jacki turned to look and saw the man called Alonso wrapped in an embrace with a slender blue skinned beauty.

"Alonso is a very lucky man. That particular species is one of the universe's few true hermaphrodites. They can also clone themselves."

"Hmm. Imagine the possibilities." Jack replied with a smirk. Jacki did and blushed deeply to his amusement.

"So why are we here Doctor?"

"Oh! I never explained did I? Well this is a ritual called the Great Joining. Eons ago, there was this alien race that lived in two separate tribes. Male and Female. They only came together one day a year to choose their mates, then they separated again. Word spread throughout the galaxies of their unusual mating rituals and soon beings from all over came to observe. Eventually the race died out, but the rites lived on and soon became this huge party. A night for everyone in the universe to come together in the hopes of finding their true love."

"Oh, you'll want to see this! This is quite something!" The Doctor exclaimed. He pointed to where what looked like a couple of trees were twined together.

"Are those trees?"

"Yes. Willow trees to be exact. Male and female. They're getting ready to fertilize."

"Here? In front of everyone?"

"Why not?"

"Because…fertilizing should be done in private!"

"Pfft! Fertilizing is perfectly natural and normal. Nothing to be ashamed of."

Jacki opened her mouth to protest, but closed it again. She watched as the tree kind twined even closer together and began to tremble slightly. Soon a glistening cloud of golden pollen enveloped them. The pollen cloud swirled around before they emerged, the female willow gazing up at her mate with a look of pure devotion and utter bliss.

"Wow. Jacki murmured, completely entranced by what she had just witnessed. The Doctor was right. There was no shame, only beauty.


	3. Chapter 3

The band soon began to play. At the first few notes, Jacki's foot began to twitch. Couples were already gliding out onto the dance floor.

"Feeling up to a dance Jack?" The Doctor asked.

"No, thank you. I think tonight I'll just dance alone. I just wanted to stop in to get a bottle of champagne. I've got a date with a laser disc and a view screen."

Jack cradled a bottle under his arm and tipped them a salute as he made his way through the crowd and back outside.

Jacki and the Doctor watched sadly as Jack walked away. The Doctor knew exactly how Jack was going to spend his evening. He'd pop in the laser disc which undoubtedly was filled with images of Ianto and their own home movies. Jack would spend hours watching, lost in his memories, drinking away the pain. Eventually he'd get to the memories of he and Ianto making love, and he'd slip off to his room alone, to dance alone.

"Go look outside." The Doctor instructed.

Jacki looked out one of the windows. There were a number of figures dressed in black robes lighting candles. Jack stood in a line waiting to light a candle of his own.

"What is this?"

"The Widow's walk. A memorial for lost loves."

Jacki watched as Jack moved through the line. Eventually he lighted his own candle and added it to the collection of glowing lights, wiping away a tear as he did so before turning and walking away towards his ship.

Jacki sniffed back tears of her own. Thankfully then the band struck up a particularly lively tune.

The Doctor smiled. "Go on! Get out there and dance!"

She scooted onto the dance floor and threw herself into the melody. The melody called to mind exotic nights in some tropical locale. It was wild and spicy. Soon she was lost in the rhythm.

The dancing couples soon paused and then stepped aside to join the onlookers who were watching her dance. She was a moving work of art just then. A riot of color and passion. Every bone, muscle, and sinew in harmony, moving with elegance and grace.

For awhile her eyes were closed in ecstasy as she moved, then suddenly as the music hit a crescendo, those eyes opened and she met the Doctor's gaze strongly.

That deep blue gaze pierced his hearts and took his breath away. It slid over him and lodged deep and low somewhere in his vitals. Heat flooded his body. If that gaze had this effect on him, what must it have been like for a man who was in love with her? Gods, it would have been quite something! Imagine the effect on the world if there were two such pairs of eyes meeting in a moment of passion. Why they'd consume the whole universe in a blaze of glory!

When the song ended, the room broke out in a riot of applause. Jacki stood alone and smiled shyly at her admirers before joining the Doctor and River.

"Dance, my husband?" River asked, holding out a hand. The Doctor took it and they walked away, heading not to the dance floor, but rather to a series of velvet draped doorways. Clearly they had another kind of dancing in mind.

While she waited for them to return, she ate a little more and drank champagne. She danced a few more numbers, some alone, and some with various partners, including Alonso and his blue friend.

Eventually she wandered over to a table where a fortune teller was plying her trade.

"Tell your fortune?" The girl asked.

"Sure, why not?"

Jacki sat down.

"I need your full birthdate, including the time you were born as close to the hour as possible."

"September 7th, 1983..Umm, 11:00 pm…I think."

"Very well."

The girl spent some moments checking and cross checking various charts before studying her palm and tracing its lines.

"Hmm. Interesting. I see great courage in you, and much love and devotion. You have great strengths, but you haven't drawn on them yet, for they haven't been tested. Yet the time is coming when you will have to pass through the fire. You will face great losses. Greater than any you have ever known. Yet, you will also know great joy. Through this time of great sacrifice, you will see where your value and your destiny lies. If you succeed, from you will spring a line of heroes. If you fail, it will be your end."

Jacki stared at her, worried and more than a little confused. Courage? Strength? No, surely not. Courage was one thing she didn't have.

"You doubt my words? You will understand in time. Time is your answer. Nothing in your time was an accident. All was pre-ordained. All was meant to happen the way it did. Until the time comes, look to your Sir and Dam. For theirs will be yours. Oh, and one more thing. Nothing is ever truly lost. What you seek most will return to you, when you least expect it."

Jacki was even more confused. The girl spoke in enigmatic riddles. For someone who spent a great deal of time writing enigmatic poetry, it was quite frustrating to not be able to get a clear answer out of this fortune teller.

Look to her parents? What was theirs would be hers? What in the hell did that even mean? What exactly was her destiny, and what was this great thing that was missing that would be returned?

She looked at the girl expecting more answers, but the girl simply smiled. An enigmatic smile to go with her enigmatic words. Then Jacki was handed a small box. She opened it and looked inside.

Strung on a thin gold chain was a claddagh charm. A heart with a crown, cupped in a pair of hands. A symbol of love, loyalty, and friendship. Yet there was something unusual about the heart. Instead of being made with just one stone, there were two. An emerald and a sapphire. Two perfect halves making one whole.

"Mom and Dad's birthstones! But..how did you know?"

"You'll understand in time."

Eventually River and the Doctor returned. The Doctor was decidedly rumpled in appearance, his impish face glowing brightly, lipstick marks on his cheeks. River herself looked even more lovely if that's possible. She took one of the Doctor's hands and gently laid it on the slight bump on her stomach.

"Ready to go?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes. And Thank you for everything. I've had a wonderful evening. A strange one to be sure, but a very wonderful evening."

All too soon she was back at home, dressed again in the faded t-shirt and sweats that she had left in, the only new edition being the fortune teller's gift. River and the Doctor waved one last time before the TARDIS faded from sight.

Some years later, the Doctor once again was hovering over the rift. On a whim he flipped on the viewscreen to see what his friend was up to.

He saw her, all grown up now, emerging from an apartment, purple bag upon her back, the fortune teller's gift around her neck. She looked almost the same expect there was a new light in her eyes. They were glowing with a fierce new light of strength, courage, and determination.

"So it begins." The Doctor remarked. He looked at the date on the screen. September 7th, 2013.


End file.
